"Good morning! Sleep is sweet for those who are in Christ, whereas, the wicked will have no rest. I'm thankful that you belong to Jesus Christ. But don't confuse this with freedom to do whatever you feel like doing, the cost for those who think they can do this is more than you would ever want to pay. Therefore, we are either His or we aren't!
I've never figured out how anyone can convince themselves that it's alright to neglect going to church. So many will tell you, "I don't need to be a church-goer to be a Christian." I would argue that position from the Scriptures point of view. We can't be an island unto ourselves and think that we can be a productive family member.
Love is the gauge for determining someone's relationship with God. The Bible tells us, "How can you say you love Me whom you've never seen, and neglect your brother by withholding your love from them?" I realize some will argumentatively say, I love people! But the Bible points out that love is not in word only, but is more so through our good deeds towards them. That requires being present.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who DOES NOT love his brother abides in death (I John 3:14 NKJV). Loving someone can never be proved by saying it, loving someone is proven by being there with them. A person claiming to be a Christian, but refuses to attend church is a person proving they do not love their brother.
I'm not trying to make a personal judgmental statement in that last phrase just because I pastor a church and want my attendance up, I'm just repeating what God's Word teaches. It doesn't leave any wiggle room for people who choose to be absent from the family of God, and thereby, give them an excuse to be AWOL. We are commanded to fellowship with one another. Consider what God's Word tells us:
These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us (1 John 2:19 NLT). There is obvious problems in a persons life when they justify their absence from being active in a church fellowship. Once again, no condemnation here, just repeating what the Word of God teaches. Here is a what a recent study has shown:
If you don't go to church for a month, the odds are almost 2 to 1 that you won't go for more than a year. Being a vital and active part of the church is something we pass on to our children. Another study once disclosed that: If both the mother and the father attend church services regularly, 72% of their children will remain faithful in attendance; if only the father attends regularly, 55% will remain faithful; if only the mother attends regularly, 15% will remain faithful; and if neither attend regularly, only 6% will remain faithful. Don't be fooled: Church attendance is very important and will determine the spiritual climate of any society at all levels of one's life." ~Dad~
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us NOT NEGLECT our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Dear friends, if we DELIBERATELY CONTINUE sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is NO LONGER any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think HOW MUCH WORSE the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were COMMON and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.” (Hebrews 10:24-30 NLT) |
